Today I actually made some time to read on in Celebration of Discipline. I’ am in exam-time. Isn’t it strange how a person have much of time, and suddenly everything happens in a small space of time? Well, here are the next part of my reading of this book.

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

“The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm.”

Spiritual disciplines shouldn’t be seen as a boring story that wants to take away happiness or laughter.

“Joy is the keystone of all the Disciplines. The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear… Singing, dancing, even shouting characterize the Disciplines of the spiritual life.”

The spiritual disciplines are, in a certain sense, not difficult (although it is difficult in another sense). The greatest requirement is a longing after God. Look what David says in Psalm 42:1-2: “As the dear pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

The material basis of the day has made it so easy to believe that we can’t move beyond the physical world. Meditation, as an example, are not seen as a contact with the real spiritual world, but are seen as psychological manipulation (if it is allowed!).

“Usually people will tolerate a brief dabbling in the ‘inward journey’, but then it is time to get on with real business in the real world.”

We do not know how to go about exploring the inward life. It wasn’t always true. In the first century, and earlier, it wasn’t necessary to give instruction in spiritual disciplines. The Bible called people to disciplines such as fasting, meditation, worship and celebration, and gave no instruction on how it was to be done.

These disciplines were done so regularly, that it wasn’t necessary to give instruction in the “how to” of the actions. Today, instruction has to be giving in how to do the disciplines, precisely because it isn’t done that regularly anymore.

“One word of caution, however, must be given at the outset; to know the mechanics does not mean that we are practicing the discipline. The Spiritual Disciplines are an inward and spiritual reality and the inner attitude of the heart is far more crucial than the mechanics for coming into the reality of the spiritual life.”